"Getting massacred is nothing new to Kent State."

In preparation for their game Saturday, an LSU fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, put up a banner from its house on Dalrymple Drive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that read, "Getting massacred is nothing new to Kent State." Okay...they did apologize...and these are kids, but what this demonstrates is a complete ignorance of the heartfelt emotions swirling the country on May 4th, 1970. I hear voices saying we should "just forget the past and move on," "stop dwelling on tragedy." But, as with the September 11th Memorials (and I heard complaints about them) we must force these memories and endure the pain they bring. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952).

The English....

David Frost was a very likable Englishman who won the hearts of many of us in the States. His show, That Was the Week That Was (TW3) skewered his own Brits at first, and then Frost brought it to the States in 1964. He had a great sense of humor and was quick to deprecate his own people. In his book, The English (1968), he described an English Lord on holiday in France, for the first time without his butler or other personal staff. One morning, his host asked if he was enjoying his stay. He said that he was, for the most part, but that he wondered why it was that his toothbrush did not foam as it usually did at home. He postulated that the French water might be the difference, but, in truth, his butler was not there to apply the toothpaste. Well...good night Mr. Frost, and thanks for everything and for getting that apology from Nixon.

America Speaks...?

I know there are a multitude of issues we all need to confront, head-on, and talk about or argue about and vote for or against. But, come on, why are so many wringing their hands about Ben Affleck playing Batman...or screaming because the "traitor," Jane Fonda, is portraying Nancy Reagan in "The Butler." I don't need to list all the things we should be talking about. But people...get a life.

Terrible beauty....

I love morons...but I especially love oxymorons. Mirriam-Webster defines them as: a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly : something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements. Such as the wonderful phrase in the title. A volcano spewing death or an atomic bomb blast fits the description. The term is often used to poke fun...as in military intelligence. It has finally come to pass, however, that a single word has been granted the gift of becoming both moronic and oxymoronic and singularly incongruous. All hail the Republican.

A Cry from Two Cities....

Comes a cry from cities far apart...and distant too in meaning,
A cry...a wail...East of Cleveland...Imperial echoes never fading,
Substance of a city fabled...again....
Then a cry far away for a child...a hope...a boy and celebration.
Yes, it's silly and meager feeling and from it smiles result...choose.  

The Trial....

Now that it's over, I guess it's time to place meaning to the outcome. And talking heads are busy on all the channels doing just that. But no matter how I analyze this...the only meaning seems to be: If you're young...and black...and wear a hoodie...don't go out in the evening.

A Tale of Inconsistency....

The Republicans are pulling out there hair trying to figure out how to be more inclusive...trying to win the hearts and minds of those they've lost for years. And yet, the beat goes on and on with bills to restrict abortion and women's health care, and trying over and over to throw out Obamacare, and speaking with forked tongues about immigration reform.... From the State Legislatures to the Congress, the song remains the same. And, I keep saying I should not be surprised by their actions, but I am. Speaker Boner...where are the jobs?